Former Kenya under-20 rugby captain Michael Wamalwa has joined Romanian club CSM Stinta Baia Mare on a two-year deal.
Wamalwa, who captained Kenya Under 20 in 2023 and went on to win the Barthes Cup with the side in 2024, becomes the first Kenyan to join the club.
The burly centre said he is delighted to join the club and was looking forward to playing top-flight rugby with some of the best players in Romania.
“It’s an honour to play in Romania because the country is one of the top rugby nations in the world. I am looking forward to improving my rugby knowledge with the club and being an asset to the team,” added Wamalwa.
He observed that more Kenyan players need to play at the top elite level in either Europe, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand to improve the local standards.
“The only way Simbas can match up with the likes of Namibia and Zimbabwe on the continent is by having more players in professional ranks. Hopefully, we can qualify for the Rugby World Cup in future,” he added.
In a statement, the club said: “Welcome, Michael Wamalwa! CSM Știința Baia Mare warmly welcomes Wamalwa, the first Kenyan-born player in the club’s history! Michael joins us from KCB RFC, one of the most successful and prestigious clubs in Kenya, competing in the Kenya Cup — the country’s top division,” the club announced.
The statement added: “Wamalwa was the captain of the Kenya U20 national team at the 2023 World Rugby U20 Trophy held in Nairobi, where he led the team to a fifth-place finish. A year later, still with the U20 squad, Wamalwa helped secure victory at the Barthes Trophy held in Zimbabwe.
“Thanks to that success, the Kenya U20 team qualified for the World Cup scheduled to take place a few months later in Scotland.” Wamalwa joins a list of Kenyans who ply their trade in Romania. They include Malcolm Onsando, Melvin Thairu, Ian Njenga and Cornelius Mokoro. Wamalwa’s new club are nine-time champions of the top-flight league in Romania, with their recent coming in a fourpeat sweep— from 2019 to 2022
